It Was A Simple Mission
by saerwenn
Summary: So why, this time, had it gone so wrong? When Lance takes a bullet for Keith, resulting in the two boys being trapped in a Galra prison together, what kind of emotional toll will it take on them? And will they survive long enough to find out?
1. Chapter 1

It was a simple mission: sneak in, plug a thumb drive into a console, have Pidge extract data, and sneak out. They'd done it a thousand times.

So why, this time, had it all gone so wrong?

Keith grunted with exertion as he sliced another drone in half, sweat dripping off his raven-black hair and splashing into his eyes. He blinked it away tirelessly. Since it was such a straightforward mission, Pidge was back at the castle with her computer, claiming it was easier to extract information with all her tools. Shiro was with Hunk at the Balmera, helping to excavate a crystal needed to power the castle's healing pods. And Allura was racing the castle to the battle scene, but Keith knew in his heart; she wouldn't make it.

That left himself, and one blue-armored paladin, and too many Galra drones to count.

Even though Keith knew that the lions weren't far away, they'd never make it if they retreated. Exposing their backs for a moment would result in certain death. They were up against a wall, Lance shooting the sentries that were out of range of Keith's blade, and Keith in turn destroying any that got close. They _were_ a good team, but it wasn't going to last. Keith could hear the panting breaths of the boy beside him, signaling he was getting as tired as he felt himself. Regardless, they both kept going; because they had no choice.

Lance yelped as a beam of light surged past his face, leaving a cut across his cheek. Sweat poured into the wound and mixed with the blood beginning to trickle down his face. Keith gritted his teeth. This was getting way too close. He had to do something, and fast. His joints ached with the strain he was putting on them, but he kept going. His mind was racing with an escape plan, with a strategy, anything that could get them out in one piece. His mind was so scattered, that it failed to notice a drone clambering up on a console for a better vantage point. He didn't notice it take aim, and he certainly didn't hear it pull the trigger.

All he felt was pressure in his shoulder as he crashed to the ground. He gasped, trying to breath, and tried to stagger back to his feet. There was a weight on top of him, and he realized a head of brown, dirty hair was pressed against his chest. Horror welled up inside him. What had just happened? The army had advanced with both paladins seemingly incapacitated. Lance was hauled off of him, his head lolling across his chest. As Keith was roughly pulled to his feet, he inspected his teammate closely, and realization crashed into him like an ocean.

Lance's entire chest was coated in fresh blood. HIS blood. Keith couldn't tell where the wound was, but the red substance was dripping down his body, covering his armor and leaving a slick trail of liquid as the Galra dragged him to their ship like a sack of potatoes. Keith knew in an instant what had transpired on the battlefield. As his helmet was ripped off and a blow to his head sent him grasping to maintain consciousness, he squeezed his eyes shut at the pain that was mysteriously in his gut instead of his head.

That shot was meant for him.


	2. Chapter 2

When Keith groggily opened his eyes, he was greeted with dim purple lights. Was this some sort of prank that Lance had pulled? He knew the lights were normally blue in his room, and he preferred them that way. He was going to kill that boy—

Lance.

The battle.

Quiznak.

Keith sat upright quickly, instantly regretting it as stars clouded his vision. He reached behind his head and felt a tender bump at the base of his skull. Blinking to clear his vision, he glanced around feverishly, trying to take in his surroundings. There wasn't much to take in. Black walls, purple lights, a couple blankets and a crumpled figure on the floor across from him. This was obviously a Galra prison cell. Keith crawled over to the paladin's body, almost too scared to feel for a pulse. He rolled Lance over onto his back and inspected his injury.

The normally dark-skinned boy was sickeningly pale. His brow was drenched in sweat, yet when Keith tentatively placed a hand on his cheek, the skin was cold to the touch. Keith breathed a small sigh of relief when he felt his pulse between his fingers. He was still alive. Gulping in a deep breath to steady himself, he began to unstrap the chest armor that had been blown through and covered in blood. As he did so, the injured boy flinched, and then his eyes shot open as a scream erupted from his throat. It startled Keith, and he jumped back, but as Lance's hands shot up in the air Keith regained his composure and leapt forward, grabbing each hand in his.

"Lance! It's me, Keith. Calm down, it's just me."

The blue eyes that were darting around feverishly finally focused on Keith's storm-cloud grey eyes, and slowly the thrashing reduced. He grasped Keith's hands tightly, as if they were the only thing that could ground him. Finally, a shaky laugh escaped his lips.

"Hey mullet. I win."

Keith blinked, and then smirked despite himself. He gave Lance's hands a squeeze.

"Hey buddy. I need to get your armor off and see how bad your wound is," he said, slowly releasing his hands and reaching down to the chest plate again. Lance nodded, now fully awake, and bit his lip as Keith shrugged the armor off. The black under suit had been torn, and there was blood everywhere, but despite the gruesome scene, Keith breathed a sigh of relief. The actual entry wound was in Lance's shoulder, far above his heart or lungs, meaning nothing vital had been punctured or blown apart. The blood loss, however, was alarming.

"Is it bad?" Lance asked through gritted teeth, "Because it doesn't feel great." Keith looked around the room, eyes resting on the blankets. He grabbed one and ripped a couple long pieces off the end, returning his attention to his teammate's arm. His friend's arm. His friend who took a bullet for him.

"It's not terrible, but I need to stop the bleeding," he said, as he folded up one of the makeshift gauze strips and pressed it firmly on the wound. Lance hissed in pain and grasped Keith's shoulder. Keith flinched, but did not pull away. He wasn't used to physical contact, but Lance needed him right now and he didn't dare deny him of that. Besides, he had to admit the warmth of another person's hand through his suit felt nice. Comforting, even. He shrugged his thoughts away and wrapped the other cloth strips across his chest and shoulder, holding pressure on the blanket lodged in the wound. He felt Lance shudder.

"Are you cold?" Keith asked, already moving to grab the other blanket. Lance shook his head, but his chattering teeth gave him away. The red paladin scooted closer, throwing the blanket over the brown-haired boy. Lance smiled at him.

"So I guess you're mad that I saved your ass," he quipped, sounding like himself. Keith chuckled. Leave it to this boy to make light of a situation like this.

"I'm furious," he said, trying his best to look serious as Lance wiggled his eyebrows. "But seriously, Lance…" all the laughter left his voice as he stared deep into the blue eyes across from him, "You could have died. And it would have been my fault."

Lance took a deep breath. When he returned Keith's gaze, there was a startling maturity in his eyes.

"I know. But I would never be able to live in a world without you in it. I would sacrifice myself for you again and again, you know. And the fault would be mine."

They stared at each other in silence for a while, neither one of them knowing what to say. When Lance visibly shivered again, Keith moved forward and wrapped his arms around him, pulling his body carefully against his own. Leaning back against the wall behind them, Keith rested his chin on the other boy's head, as he felt Lance relax into his embrace. He assured himself he was only hugging Lance for comfort, to help a wounded comrade, but the thumping of his heart in his chest and the heat rising up his face was telling a different tale. Feelings that lay dormant were now cascading around him like a tornado. It was hard to tell what was real and what was pure adrenaline. He felt Lance looking up at him and it took all his willpower to return the stare.

"What do you think will happen now?" the blue paladin asked, his bravado from earlier wavering. His lips looked cracked and dry, probably from dehydration. Wait, why was Keith staring at his lips? Focus.

"The team will find us. Our lions will find us," Keith said reassuringly. "Don't worry."

"I wasn't worried!"

"Of course you weren't."

Lance sighed in defeat and went to put his head back down, but then met Keith's eyes once more.

"I can lay somewhere else if you want…" he mumbled, "I know you're not comfortable with stuff like this." Truth be told, Keith _was_ uncomfortable… but not for the reasons Lance was thinking.

"It's fine, Lance." He said, wrapping his arms more firmly around the boy, one hand tangling in his hair to relax his head against Keith's shoulder. "Try and get some rest." Lance breathed outward as he snuggled into Keith, and the trickle of hot breath on his neck made Keith shiver. He stroked Lance's hair absently as the weight on his chest became heavier as the blue paladin relaxed, until gradually his breathing evened out into a soft snore. Keith was still surveying the room, trying to find a means of escape or communication with Voltron, but the cell was flawlessly designed. They weren't getting out of there until that door opened, and then god knows what came for them. Keith sighed, and felt his eyelids getting heavier, until he eventually rested his cheek lightly on Lance's head.

Whatever they were going to do, it would have to wait.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Happy Friday! Here's the next chapter. I'm currently working on the next one so hopefully I can update weekly, but with a 4 month old it's all going to be unpredictable I'm sure. Anyway, enjoy. There is a bit of torture in this chapter so if I am supposed to put a warning or anything someone let me know. :3

Keith's eyes flew open when he heard a metallic noise from the other side of the room. The door was opening.

He jumped up, forgetting about the sleeping boy on his body. Lance yelped as he tumbled to the hard floor, but Keith had no time to feel sorry. The door was opening. This was their chance.

As the first Galra came into view, Keith launched himself at his gun, desperate to grab a weapon as quickly as possible. The soldier was prepared, however, and Keith was flung into the wall like a rag doll. He struggled to his feet, noting how the lack of food and water was already affecting his body. His movements were weakened, slow, and clumsy, but he still raised his fists in combat stance and prepared for an attack. The attack, however, never came.

Because in the time it had taken him to get back to his feet, a Galra soldier now had a knife to Lance's throat.

 _God damnit, NO._

Lance still looked pale, and groggy despite the desperate situation. Keith realized that if _he_ was feeling dehydration, Lance would be faring much worse due to the lack of blood in his system. Keith wasn't used to caring about others; especially in a battle situation, but he realized with a sinking feeling in his gut that when he attacked, he left his injured teammate completely defenseless. Stupid. He slowly raised his hands in defeat.

"You," one of the drones said, jabbing a finger at Keith, "Come." Keith gritted his teeth at Lance's wide eyed expression, fear and anger mixed into blue eyes. He seemed to find some energy, and while the soldier holding the knife was distracted, he brought his arm up and punched the soldier right in the throat. The knife dropped, and Lance grabbed it without missing a beat, thrusting it into the chest of the sentry. The lights in his helmet dimmed, flickered, and went out.

Keith closed his jaw at the unexpected turn of events and leapt at the Galra that had already raised his gun, knocking him off his feet and struggling to get the gun out of armored hands. Lance was ducking and dodging shots from the soldiers that were filing into the cell at the sound of the commotion; Keith realized without a doubt that even with both bayards, these boys were trapped and outnumbered. And the Galra looked like they were in no mood, and Lance was going to end up dead.

"Alright!" Keith yelled, jumping in front of the soldiers and throwing his hands in the air. "Wait. I'll go with you."

"Keith, no!" His heart lurched at the panic in the voice of the boy behind him. But the Galra had stopped shooting, and one was motioning for him to come over to them. Lance was beside him in an instant, and Keith turned to face him with a small smile on his face.

"Hey, just try and rest. I'll be back, don't worry about me," he said, placing his hand on the paladin's cheek. Lance leaned into the touch.

"You promise?"

"I promise."

And with one last look, Keith gathered his courage and allowed himself to be marched out of the cell. The door slammed shut as the blue paladin of Voltron fell to his knees.

Now that Keith was out of sight of his friend, his nerves fully surfaced. He didn't have as much bravado when he wasn't trying to make Lance feel safer. He was marched down the winding hallways in silence, trying to map out the prison in his head but finally giving up. His heart felt like it would leap out of his chest, but he tried to breath deeply and ready himself for whatever was coming.

He was brought to an interrogation room, where he was strapped to a chair. Soldiers crowded around him.

"We're going to ask you a few questions," One man said, "It is in your best interest to answer them."

Keith spat on the ground.

"Where is the rest of Voltron?" A Galra drone asked. Keith snorted.

"I'm on your ship. You seriously think I know where they are?" he said sarcastically. The Galra drone nodded. Keith was surprised it wasn't going to push that subject any further—

Purple sparks of electricity shot out of the chair and enveloped his body. Keith couldn't even scream before the air rushed out of his lungs at the sudden shock. It only lasted for a moment, but when the pain subsided the red paladin was slumped over, wheezing for breath. He eventually raised his head again, to where the soldier was waiting for him.

"Where is Voltron?"

"I don't know!"

 _Shock_.

"How can we track the Lions?"

"I'm not a tech person, I don't know."

 _Shock_.

"How can we take down the Castle of Lions?"

"Like I'd ever tell you."

 _Shock._

The pain went on until Keith's vision was blurry and dotted with stars. His whole body ached and tingled, and he barely even felt the restraints on his arms and legs being taken off. Even if he had wanted to fight, he didn't think it was possible. He was practically dragged in between two soldiers down the purple hallways, the floor coming in and out of focus as he drifted in and out of consciousness. When he finally heard a door opening, he blinked furiously to clear his head just as he was tossed haphazardly into the darkness ahead of him. However, rather than landing on a hard surface, he was pleasantly surprised that something soft had broken his fall. A cushion? A bed perhaps? Keith just wanted to sleep.

The cushion yelped.

"Lance!" Keith cried, realizing he had landed on the Cuban in a tangled mess of limbs. He rolled off him quickly, the motion making his head continue to spin even after he sat still. He saw Lance's worried face inches away from his own, trying to get him to focus.

"…eith? Can you hear me buddy?" He was saying, snapping his fingers in front of the purple-grey eyed boy. Keith smiled.

"Oh boy. You're smiling. Now I know they broke you," Lance said, half joking but still full of concern. Keith willed himself to focus on the tanned skin in front of him.

"Hey," he said, trying to make his mouth work again. Lance smiled.

"Are you alright? What happened?" Lance asked, visibly furrowing his brows. Keith realized that no, the room wasn't swaying… he himself was swaying. He tried to sit still. Lance's strong hands gently grasped his arms, and Keith was grateful for the assistance.

"They want information," he mumbled, "And they have some sort of electric chair. Really sucks."

"Did you tell them anything?" Lance asked cautiously, not wanting to offend the boy but needing to assess the situation. Keith was too groggy to be offended.

"No," he said, "We can't tell them anything. No matter what they do, we have to hold out and keep the others safe." Keith finished his sentence with grim certainty, raising his head and staring into the blue eyes in front of him. Lance's expression reflected his own; they knew what they had to do.

"I understand," Lance finally said, sighing. "Whatever they do to us, we have to endure it. Until we are rescued of course."

"Of course." Keith smiled. The world had stopped spinning finally, and he felt a bit better. Whether being in Lance's presence had helped or not, he didn't know. He didn't really care. They were both safe for the moment. At least he thought, until Lance's smile faded and his eyes rolled back in his head.

"Lance?!" Keith cried as he lunged forward to catch the paladin from smashing his head off the cold floor. Lance was still hot to the touch.

Of course.

His wound.

How the hell did Keith forget about that?

IDIOT.

Keith lay the brown haired boy gingerly onto the ground, hearing his erratic breaths hitching in his throat. He had obviously passed out from blood loss, but when Keith checked the makeshift bindings, he found they had successfully stopped the bleeding. _I guess I have no idea how long we were both unconscious when they first brought us here,_ he thought, _he could have bled out for hours with no medical help._ The red paladin ground his teeth in frustration. They needed water, or food. Something to clean the gaping hole in Lance's shoulder with before it became infected.

They needed help.


	4. UPDATE

Hi All!

I have recently been posting exclusively on Archive Of Our Own, under the same username, and I have completed this story on that site! I don't want to double post it all on here, so I'm going to direct you over there to finish the rest of it. There is 11 chapters all together, and I have other works on that site too.

/works/14490156/chapters/33473661

Thanks so much for reading, and let me know what you think of it over there! Comments are always appreciated! :)


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